Statement by Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau Federation, Regarding Climate Change Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 24, 2009 – “Climate change legislation working its way to a vote on the House floor this week continues to be seriously flawed. The bill’s provisions and omissions are very problematic for U.S. agriculture, our national economy and domestic energy security. Even after the stellar efforts of House Agriculture Chairman Collin Peterson and many rural members of Congress to win vital changes for America’s farm and ranch families – efforts that we strongly endorse and support – there are simply too many flaws in the underlying bill. Peterson has shown once again that he is a determined advocate for America’s farmers and ranchers and a leader to be reckoned with in the halls of Congress.

“But this legislation raises a wide range of issues that are detrimental to U.S. agriculture. One of the chief challenges is the energy deficit the bill will create. New technologies hold great promise for our nation, but are nowhere close to coming on line. The bill forces agriculture and other productive sectors of our nation’s economy into a position of severe competitive disadvantage with trading partners like China and other nations who will not burden their economies to control carbon emissions.

“Despite inclusion of Chairman Peterson’s hard-fought provisions to reward farmers for carbon offsets and to remove the phony indirect-land-use calculation, this bill should be amended further or defeated.”

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